Warning over foreign doctors
Health watchdogs have warned that patient safety may be at risk from EU plans to allow foreign doctors to work unregistered in the UK.
The Alliance of UK Health Regulators on Europe, which represents the 10 UK Health & Social Care Regulatory bodies, is concerned about the proposals, which will allow professional people, including doctors, to work wherever they choose in the European Union for four months a year.
The Directive on the Mutual Recognition of Professional Qualifications includes proposals that would allow healthcare professionals from any EU country to work without being registered with a UK regulator.
This means that if there was a problem with the care a person received, the UK regulators would have no powers to take action. Nor would there be any means of preventing the same problem from happening again with another patient.
The Alliance wants regulators from each member state to share information when they take action against a professional on their register.
A committee of MEPs is due to vote on the proposal on today.
